Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com

Jack Audley has been a highwayman.

A soldier. And he has always been a rogue. What he is not, and never wanted to be, is a peer of the realm, responsible for an ancient heritage and the livelihood of hundreds. But when he is recognized as the long-lost son of the House of Wyndham, his carefree life is over. And if his birth proves to be legitimate, then he will find himself with the one title he never wanted: Duke of Wyndham.

Grace Eversleigh has spent the last five years toiling as the companion to the dowager Duchess of Wyndham. It is a thankless job, with very little break from the routine . . . until Jack Audley lands in her life, all rakish smiles and debonair charm. He is not a man who takes no for an answer, and when she is in his arms, she's not a woman who wants to say no. But if he is the true duke, then he is the one man she can never have . . .

Average Customer Rating:

Don't waste your hard-earned money!

Customer Rating:

I read the book. Extremely poor writing. Extremely poor development of characters. Exremely boring plot. Should I say more? I'm just writing this review to warn the people not to spend their hard-earned money on this complete writing failure which somehow got published. It's a total rip-off: I think the big wigs (Quinn's publishers) thought to milk the cash cow (Quinn) at the expense of her creativeness and professionalism, so they got her to publish something so obviously bad as this. Not worth a dime.

Charming, despite itself

Customer Rating:

The first Julia Quinn novel I ever read was "The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever," which I hated so much I threw it against the wall. I was not looking forward to reading "The Lost Duke of Wyndham," but it was in my book pile and I figured I'd give it a whirl. I'm glad I did. At first, for the first few chapters, I found the book very annoying and hard to enjoy. There's too much "witty banter" that doesn't feel very witty to me at all. Also, I found the opening action a little silly--a highwayman robs a coach, kisses one of his victims, and she enjoys it--okay. And the highwayman is actually possibly the other victim's grandson--so he gets away scot free with his stolen goods--okay. I suppose. And oh no, there's more of that "witty banter" that's actually very clunky and not at all witty! Make it stop! And then, abruptly, the book becomes good. I don't get it! But it evens out, flows better, and the two main characters, Jack and Grace, become very likable and interesting, and their interactions are very pleasurable to read. The Good: Jack is a charming character. He's very sweet to Grace and I like his attitude, for the most part. Grace is very sweet and kind, and I really root for her to have her happy ending. The mean and cruel dowager Duchess is a good foil, and altogether I like it. The storyline is compelling and the plotting is good, overall. The dialogue straightens out and becomes actually fun to read, hurrah! The Bad: Some characters get short shrift, especially Amelia, Thomas, and Elizabeth, who needed more page time. Certain plot elements are not handled as well as they should be, including Jack's family history and his Terrible Secret. The characters all feel very isolated, as if the rest of England went off to France on vacation, leaving them all alone in their cavernous castle. This doesn't feel deliberate to me. Overall, though, this is a good story, well written, with a good hero and a good heroine. I like their love story. Most readers will probably enjoy following along with the book, unless they are expecting something spectacular--this isn't spectacular, but it is good.

Julia Quinn's got her touch back and more!

Customer Rating:

Honestly, it's more like a 4.5 star book than a full 5 stars- but there doesn't seem to be half-star grades here. I don't know where to begin or what exactly to focus on when reviewing this book. I just want to say that it seems like JQ's finally brought something fresh with likable and sensible characters- unlike her last few books. This book borders the love-at-first-sight type of romance. I'm usually not fond of them but for some reason, it didn't bother me in this novel- maybe now that I'm older and have seen some people be attracted to each other and fall in love quickly and successfully, I'm more amenable to the idea. I liked how Grace and Jack were attracted to each other, but then slowly fell in love with each other. I liked how there wasn't any prodding on either side to make them realize they're in love. I also enjoyed Quinn's wry and honest commentary on manners, social interaction, and human behavior- those fleeting thoughts one has, but never really thought to voice aloud or put to paper. It doesn't come off as sounding too showy-instead, it is weaved in a way that conveys very real nuances to the characterization of the characters and situations. If I didn't have such an aversion to making marks in my books, I would have underlined many lines in which I had mentally exclaimed "that's exactly what I think!" or "I totally understand because I had been in a similar situation when..." or "I've met someone like that". When I think of JQ's books, even if the plot and events might be farfetched sometimes, at least this aspect of her work is very real. Her voice is on the same wavelength of my mental voice whenever I observe social situations around me. Some of the other things I liked also included Jack's portrayal (I admit I'm a bit like him and know people who are like him too), how Jack's problems were dealt with (no overdramatization or instant miracles there), an awareness of social propriety, the depiction of the title as a huge responsibility (been reading too much about leisurely lords and dukes), and the layered depiction of the Duchess of Wyndham as a very mean, horrible lady (with a black heart) who does have a hidden depths and principles (as opposed to the many old ladies get typecasted in romances nowadays). I guess, in the end, what I'm trying to say is that what made this book so great wasn't just a few big ideas/aspects that made a big splash in my mind (honestly, the plot summary didn't sound too intriguing), but it was all the small things the JQ added to the novel and the characters' voices that made this book great. I can't wait to get my hands on the companion book to this!

Will the real Julia Quinn please stand up?

Customer Rating:

As I finished reading the last page of this novel, I was quite surprised to actually feel relieved that it was all over. Quite amazing, really, since I enjoyed most of Julia Quinn's books. I asked myself: what was missing, why do I feel unmoved by the hero's anguish? Then I thought about some of Quinn's Bridgerton books - and the Bridgertons in general - and I realized what was missing. THE LOST DUKE OF WYNDHAM had every possibility of being a wonderful and touching romance novel. Indeed, all the elements are there. Both the hero and heroine's lives provide the common foundation for great characters that is guaranteed to touch the cord of any romance book reader. Grace Eversleigh, orphaned at the age of seventeen, was left with no choice but to be a companion to the cantankerous dowager duchess of Wyndham. While things could have gone worse for her after being left homeless, serving the selfish duchess hasn't exactly been a walk in the park and truly verged on martyrdom. Jack Audley is an overt flirt who can charm even the tetchiest of characters. Yet underneath the fun-loving façade is a man living with guilt and shame. A man whose parentage could ruin the only chance he has of finally finding happiness. Here, you have these two characters whose inner sadness should really stir up some strong emotions, yet I was rather detached from the beginning. I did not feel a connection with Grace. When Jack finally breaks down and reveals his biggest shame, I wasn't moved by it. It was obvious that Quinn was trying to use it as one of the reasons why Jack dreaded being the duke. I, however, felt that it would have made more of an impact if it was revealed earlier and the reader was told of how Jack progressively dealt with the problem. I really wanted to like this novel. Truly, I did. But you know it's a sign of tedium when you find yourself stopping in the middle of a page wondering what on earth was going on and having to re-read some parts. Grace and Jack are likeable enough, Jack more so due to his charm, but I felt that they both lacked the depth to get you really engrossed with their lives and feel moved by their predicament. This was a very predictable, drawn out novel that would probably turn off readers who are not familiar with Julia Quinn's work. However, this certainly won't stop me from reading her again because I only have to think of books like An Offer from a Gentleman (Bridgerton 3) or When He Was Wicked (Bridgerton Family Series) to know what the real Julia Quinn is capable of.

Worth the time	Customer Rating:
Better than most other author's work, but perhaps not JQ's best book. I enjoyed the story and really looked forward to finding out more about Amelie and Thomas. Don't think it is right to cucify and author for trying something new.